WASHINGTON — When she is healthy, Trinity Rodman is the most dynamic player in American women’s soccer and one of the most exciting in the world.
But the operative words are: “When she is healthy.”
Rodman’s chronic back problems sidelined her more than three months this season, and on Friday, the Washington Spirit ruled her out with a right MCL knee sprain, suffered in a CONCACAF W Champions Cup match against Mexican side Monterrey on Wednesday.
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Though the U.S. Soccer Federation has yet to announce anything related to Rodman, she is expected to miss national team training camp, which will open Monday and include two friendlies against Portugal and one against New Zealand.
Just hours before the injury, Rodman was named to the national team for the first time since April.
Spirit coach Adrián González called the diagnosis “the best scenario. Obviously, an injury is not always a good situation, but yeah, it’s not as bad as it could be.”
Grade 1 is the least severe on the injury scale and could allow Rodman to return in a few weeks.
González did not share a timetable, saying, “We are going to take this day by day. Every player is completely different and we want to support her, obviously. And as a human being, right now the most important thing is just to recover, and see how she feels every day and try to help her as much as possible. We will see in the future.”
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Rodman, 23, was a pivotal figure in the U.S. Olympic gold medal campaign last year in Paris, partnering with Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson on a frontline nicknamed the “Triple Espresso.”
None of the trio will be in U.S. camp next week as Swanson and Wilson are on maternity leave. Among the forwards on the camp roster are Chelsea’s Catarina Macario and Alyssa Thompson.
It was not immediately clear whether U.S. coach Emma Hayes would name a replacement for Rodman, who has posted 11 goals and nine assists in 47 international appearances.
The next international window, which will include two yet-to-be announced friendlies, is Nov. 24-Dec. 2. The U.S. team will not begin 2027 World Cup qualifying until November 2026.
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In the NWSL this season, Rodman has five goals and two assists in 15 appearances (nine starts) for the second-place Spirit (12-4-8), a 2024 finalist that will close the regular season Nov. 2 and host a quarterfinal Nov. 7-9. She was the NWSL’s player of the month for September.
“It’s tough seeing someone go down no matter what team you’re on — especially someone like Trin,” Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune told reporters after Wednesday’s match.
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